Shelley’s Case

*Lest one day I decide to go back for more (e.g., L.L.M., etc.)

With great relief, I am pleased to announce that I am DONE with the LAST law school exam. It was hard waiting the day of the exam to arrive, but the exam itself was even harder than expected.

Two weeks prior to the exam, rumors were circulating that the exam will consists of questions that we had discussed in class. I did not take the rumor as seriously as most people did. A little paranoid voice in my head screamed — “But what if the professor changed his/her mind? Then I would be screwed over if I do not know the rest of the stuff.” As a result of my paranoia, I had a hard time studying for the exam because there are so many potential topics that the exam could cover.

Fast forward to the day of the exam. My gut feeling tells me that the professor will probably test on certain topics in the assigned readings (but not discussed in class) — an unlikely scenario, if you listened to all the rumors and tips floating around law school, but nonetheless a possible scenario. I made extra handouts and printed out the statutes of things I think could appear on the exam.

The rumors were wrong. The exam was hard and 75% of the questions were not topics we had discussed in class. Had I not ignored the rumors, I would have for sure failed the exam. I am not saying that I aced the exams (there were some sub-questions which stumped me), but I do not think I failed it (at least I finished it).

Points to take away:
1. Take rumors lightly.
2. Err on the side of caution, especially if it is an open book exam.
3. If you must cry because you think you failed the exam, wait until you finish the exam, turned it in, and left the room. Crying will not stop the time and you will get zero points for unwritten answers.
4. If you are unsure of the answer the professor is looking for, then do your best to make an argument why the answer you have chosen is the best answer. If the facts are unclear, say so. Explain why a change in facts could change the “best” answer. This demonstrates to the professor that you are aware of the limitations of the rule and that you understood the complexity of the issue.
5. If you do not know the rule (and the professor asked that you keep the answer short), then do follow the instruction and keep the answer short. Work on the other questions to which you do know the answer.

Although it has only been days since the last update, it sure feels like years. I stayed up until wee hours of the morning working on part of the last final (take home portion). After careful editing, the six page paper ballooned into a twelve-page monster. Later this afternoon, I will read through the paper to make sure the analysis is logical and that I have fully integrated all relevant rules and facts (and take out undeveloped themes).

So far I have been able to balance studying, work, and exercise, without losing my sanity albeit several close calls. Today I am going to work on the outline for tomorrow’s exam. I just need to keep this up for another two days.

To reduce the level of stress this year during the exam period, I have decided to continue with my daily activities: work, exercising, eating, sleeping. I have tried to cut down my study hours.

Yes, you have read it correctly. I have been staying away from the books. I do not want to fall asleep holding one, and I do not want to fall asleep on top of one. It is harder than it looks, really.

The way I see it, when I over-study, I only stress myself out and make myself tired and cranky. Since I either know the material or not by this point in time, I really should be focusing on putting the material together. If I concentrate 100% for 15 minutes, taking a break every five minutes, and repeat this process for the next two hours, I accomplish the same result as sitting in front of the book for six hours. So far, the strategy has worked for me.

Words of caution: I am taking mostly grad classes this semester, not law classes, so it is a special scenario.

This does not mean I sit idly during my “spare” time. I try to surprise myself by asking myself (silently) random questions throughout the day and see if I know the correct answer.

One more exam and it will be all over.

For the past few days I have been studying and working. I find it difficult to study for the closed-book exams for health classes because there are over 500 pages of facts that could appear in the test, and over 30 chemical compounds I need to memorize, their routes of exposure and health effects. It was a relief when I spotted two legal questions because at least I could decipher those without digging too deep into my brain.

Time to switch gears and study for the last law school exam ever.

Today is the last day of law school. As I wandered around the empty building, my back seemed to weigh more and more. It is not quite time to sell my law books yet, at least not after my last final exam is finished. I still have Westlaw print outs littering my floor. Those probably will not be thrown out for another 1-1/2 weeks or so. The message I am constantly reminding myself yet is that it is not quiet over until the finals are done.

But the classes are definitely over. I will never sit in another law class lecture with all of my classmates again. On the very first day of law school the professor asked us a question that stumped me for three years. To this question, “Why are you in law school”, I still have no answer that would satisfy this particular professor, but I can tell you what I have learned about law school and why this three year journey forever changed my life.

Law school is essentially a vigorous training program designed to challenge your physical, social, cultural, intellectual ability. It is a test of endurance that exerts constant pressure to make sure you will eventually develop an automatic mechanism to “think” like a lawyer. The changes are subtle enough that you will not sense it until you compare yourself months after the day you started law school.

You will learn to make connections between concepts and facts. Little things that never stood out suddenly become the center of your attention. You will become superstitious, obsessive, compulsive, and competitive. If you already possess some of the above traits, law school will exacerbate them. Just as law school brings out the worst in you, it will also brings out the best in you.

Some people in law school will be decent, hardworking folks. Others will not. You will learn to distinguish who are the people you can count on, and with who you cannot work. The vigorousness of the curriculum will test your patience, chip away your confidence, and make you feel like a complete fool from time to time. Everything is predictable, yet nothing is predictable.

If I sound like a Buddhist philosopher, it is because that is how law school has been like for me. I cannot fully explain what law school is like because the details are different for everyone. You will not believe what law school experience is like until you have tasted it yourself.

The strangest thing of it all is that I do not regret this decision to go to law school. I probably would not want to do it all over again because — who am I kidding — law school is so intense that it is deservingly an once-in-your-lifetime experience. It is great relief and incredulity that I announce…

“NO MORE LAW SCHOOL CLASSES”